WESTERN SAMOA GEOGRAPHY Total area: 2,860 km2; land area: 2,850 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island Land boundaries: none Coastline: 403 km Maritime claims: Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October) Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish Land use: arable land 19%; permanent crops 24%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 47%; other 10% Environment: subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism Note: located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand PEOPLE Population: 190,346 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991) Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 47 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Western Samoan(s); adjective--Western Samoan Ethnic divisions: Samoan; Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) about 7%, Europeans 0.4% Religion: Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist) Language: Samoan (Polynesian), English Literacy: 97% (male 97%, female 97%) age 15 and over can read and write (1971) Labor force: 38,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1987 est.) Organized labor: Public Service Association (PSA) GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Independent State of Western Samoa Type: constitutional monarchy under native chief Capital: Apia Administrative divisions: 11 districts; Aana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Faasaleleaga, Gagaemauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupaitea, Tuamasaga, Vaa-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano Independence: 1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by New Zealand) Constitution: 1 January 1962 Legal system: based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: National Day, 1 June Executive branch: monarch, Executive Council, prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono) Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal Leaders: Chief of State--Susuga Malietoa TANUMAFILI II (Co-Chief of State from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole Chief of State on 5 April 1963); Head of Government--Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana (since 7 April 1988) Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti, chairman; Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), VA'AI Kolone, chairman Suffrage: universal adult at age NA, but only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly Elections: Legislative Assembly--last held NA February 1991 (next to be held by February 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(47 total) HRPP 30, SNDP 14, independent 3 Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Fili (Felix) Tuaopepe WENDT; Chancery (temporary) at the Western Samoan Mission to the UN, 820 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (212) 599-6196; US--the ambassador to New Zealand, Della Newman, is accredited to Western Samoa (mailing address is P.O. Box 3430, Apia); telephone (685) 21-631 Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation ECONOMY Overview: Agriculture employs more than half of the labor force, contributes 50% to GDP, and furnishes 90% of exports. The bulk of export earnings comes from the sale of coconut oil and copra. The economy depends on emigrant remittances and foreign aid to support a level of imports about five times export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry, and construction of the first international hotel is under way. GDP: $115 million, per capita $620; real growth rate - 4.5% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 17% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: NA%; shortage of skilled labor Budget: revenues $70 million; expenditures $73 million, including capital expenditures of $41 million (1990) Exports: $9.4 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--coconut oil and cream 54%, taro 12%, copra 9%, cocoa 3%; partners--NZ 28%, EC 23%, American Samoa 23%, Australia 11%, US 6% (1990) Imports: $87 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%; partners--New Zealand 31%, Australia 20%, Japan 15%, Fiji 15%, US 5%, EC 4% (1987) External debt: $83 million (December 1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 4.3% (1990 est.); accounts for 14% of GDP Electricity: 29,000 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams) Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $18 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $291 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million Currency: tala (plural--tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1--2.3170 (January 1991), 2.3095 (1990), 2.2686 (1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987), 2.2351 (1986), 2.2437 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Highways: 2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel, crushed stone, or earth Ports: Apia Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,930 GRT/34,135 DWT; includes 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: 7,500 telephones; 70,000 radios; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT station DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Department of Police and Prisons Manpower availability: males 15-49, 49,119; NA fit for military service Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP 